Would this damage the oil?

[Scout1]

My kids 2002 Taurus (3.0L) ran low on water, but not to the point of boiling over. Found he had a very slow leak at the base of the water pump that slowly drained the coolant. He noticed the heater not working very well. So I decided to drive it to work one morning. The heater was dead cold and I noticed the temp gauge needle spiking up then coming back down. I turned around, drove it back home and found the coolant about 1 gallon low.

So I'm not sure, but as the coolant level slowly dropped would the heads have run exceptionally hot and would that hurt the oil? Should I change it immediately? The oil looks fine and the engine seems to run fine. I only had about 1k on the change...

 

[GROUCHO MARX]

Check the head gasket

 

[TallPaul]

I wonder if damaged oil would show on a blotter. A gallon low and cooler weather, probably didn't damage the oil. What kind of oil was it anyway.

Leak from bottom of water pump usually means you need a new water pump.

 

[ZZman]

My 2001 Taurus just got fixed for a similar leak. Also had to replace the coolant pressure tank as it was cracked (Watch that as it is a common issue)

I doubt it did anything but if it eases your mind change it.

 

[rg200amp]

I would say its fine.

But

Me being me, I would change it.
I usally change my oil if a kid coughs with in a 20 foot radious of my car though.

 

[StevieC]

Tauraus might not be the most attractive cars, but their engines are pretty much bullet proof and good for many miles... Take care of the cooling problem and you should be good to go!

 

[Colt45ws]

Sometime ago, Ford started installing a Cylinder Head Temp sensor in many vehicles for a Fail safe cooling setup. I dont know if a '02 Taurus has it though... If you have the owners manual, you can see if it mentions fail safe cooling. If it has FSC, you will be fine. If it detects a overheat with the CHT, you would know. It will light up the dashboard like a christmas tree, and run really rough..

I would change the oil though.

 

[protomind]

I would guess how much it affected the oil would depend on the quality of the oil. Synthetic or Dino?

 

[Steve S]

I wouldn't be concerned about the oil untill other problems are resolved.

 

[bobfather99]

I would definitely check out the cooling system
(head gaskets, water pump, etc)

I had a neighbor who overheated his Taurus, was so bad he popped out a freeze plug...be careful....

 

[mechtech2]

The oil is the least of your worries.

 

[Scout1]

The oil was just dino, Chevron Supreme 5w30. I haven't changed it (sorry I haven't been checking back on this post). The car continues to run fine and the oil looks good on the dipstick. I don't think I fixed the leak totally by tightening the water pump bolts on that side, so next summer I'm gonna have to replace the gasket.

 

[SuperDave456]

My '02, my sister's '01 , and my father's '00 Taurus have all had their pressurized plastic coolage storage tank crack. Very difficult to diagnose (you never think it is just a plastic tank leaking) and and a PITA to change.

They never fixed the design flaw, all they have is the same plastic storage tank. It lasts about 4-6 years, then it cracks again.

You would think they wouldn't cut corners or that they would figure that out. But I guess the older models weren't around long enough for them to figure that out.

I wonder if the newer Ford Five Hundreds / Taurus have this issue too.

Just need to wait 5-6 years.

 

[CELICA_XX]

Originally Posted By: mechtech2
The oil is the least of your worries.


That's what I was thinking.